Will Cutting off the Head Kill the Beast, or Will It Simply Grow Another Head?
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
The President of the United States ordered a drone strike killing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in a televised interview on Friday stated the killing of Soleimani disrupted an "imminent attack" against Americans in the Middle East. Pompeo's statement was also backed up by other military leaders.
Pompeo is quoted as saying, "It was the time to take this action so that we could disrupt this plot, deter further aggression from Qasem Soleimani and the Iranian regime — as well as to de-escalate the situation."
So it appears that's the company line — the United States launched a drone strike killing Iran's top military commander because he was behind a plot to attack Americans in the Middle East.
I might not have extensive experience as a government official, and I do not have any advanced training in national security, but how could anybody possibly think killing someone behind a terrorist organization is going to de-escalate anything?
Are we really to believe the death of Soleimani will stop whatever terrorist plot was in the works? Conventional wisdom and common sense would seem to think the opposite is true. If anything, Soleimani's death probably emboldened, solidified, and fast-tracked any plans for terrorist attacks against Americans.
Iranians, and supporters of Soleimani have vowed revenge. The Quds Force already has a new commander. Soleimani's remains hadn't even been collected when Major General Esmail Ghaani took command. Ghaani and the Islamic republic has already threatened "harsh revenge" against the United States.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani sand the killing of General Soleimani was, "a grave mistake and America would face the consequences for years."
Surely Ghaani, on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader, will take up the banner and pick up exactly where Soleimani left off. Whatever terrorist plot the Quds Force was cooking up didn't die with Soleimani. It is ridiculous to think Soleimani was locked in his office by himself planning whatever "imminent attack" was supposed to take place.
Global terrorism and international terrorist organizations are not snakes — the organization does not die if you cut off the head — they are hydras. If you cut off one head, another takes its place. Killing one military leader is not going to solve the problem.
The old model of warfare no longer exists. We are not fighting the Nazis and Hitler in 1945. We are not fighting an enemy with one clear, defined leader. Osama Bin Laden was replaced by Ayman al-Zawahiri. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was replaced by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. There isn't one international terrorist organization. G.I. Joe isn't fighting Cobra and Cobra Commander. Global international terrorism has many faces. Killing one terrorist leader isn't going to stop anything.
On the CNN show Fareed Zakaria GPS, Megnhan O'Sullivan, a former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan said, "This kind of action...it's more likely to consolidate the Iranian regime than it is to be a final blow or it is going to break it up in any way because this will allow the Iranians to unify. Solemani was a revered figure in Iran and in other parts of the Middle East."
It is the opinion of the editorial staff at the Beacon that thinking killing one terrorist leader was going to stop anything is naive, at best, and utterly and grossly incompetent, at worst.
The President of the United States ordered a drone strike killing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in a televised interview on Friday stated the killing of Soleimani disrupted an "imminent attack" against Americans in the Middle East. Pompeo's statement was also backed up by other military leaders.
Pompeo is quoted as saying, "It was the time to take this action so that we could disrupt this plot, deter further aggression from Qasem Soleimani and the Iranian regime — as well as to de-escalate the situation."
So it appears that's the company line — the United States launched a drone strike killing Iran's top military commander because he was behind a plot to attack Americans in the Middle East.
I might not have extensive experience as a government official, and I do not have any advanced training in national security, but how could anybody possibly think killing someone behind a terrorist organization is going to de-escalate anything?
Are we really to believe the death of Soleimani will stop whatever terrorist plot was in the works? Conventional wisdom and common sense would seem to think the opposite is true. If anything, Soleimani's death probably emboldened, solidified, and fast-tracked any plans for terrorist attacks against Americans.
Iranians, and supporters of Soleimani have vowed revenge. The Quds Force already has a new commander. Soleimani's remains hadn't even been collected when Major General Esmail Ghaani took command. Ghaani and the Islamic republic has already threatened "harsh revenge" against the United States.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani sand the killing of General Soleimani was, "a grave mistake and America would face the consequences for years."
Surely Ghaani, on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader, will take up the banner and pick up exactly where Soleimani left off. Whatever terrorist plot the Quds Force was cooking up didn't die with Soleimani. It is ridiculous to think Soleimani was locked in his office by himself planning whatever "imminent attack" was supposed to take place.
Global terrorism and international terrorist organizations are not snakes — the organization does not die if you cut off the head — they are hydras. If you cut off one head, another takes its place. Killing one military leader is not going to solve the problem.
The old model of warfare no longer exists. We are not fighting the Nazis and Hitler in 1945. We are not fighting an enemy with one clear, defined leader. Osama Bin Laden was replaced by Ayman al-Zawahiri. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was replaced by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. There isn't one international terrorist organization. G.I. Joe isn't fighting Cobra and Cobra Commander. Global international terrorism has many faces. Killing one terrorist leader isn't going to stop anything.
On the CNN show Fareed Zakaria GPS, Megnhan O'Sullivan, a former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan said, "This kind of action...it's more likely to consolidate the Iranian regime than it is to be a final blow or it is going to break it up in any way because this will allow the Iranians to unify. Solemani was a revered figure in Iran and in other parts of the Middle East."
It is the opinion of the editorial staff at the Beacon that thinking killing one terrorist leader was going to stop anything is naive, at best, and utterly and grossly incompetent, at worst.
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